UGC (User Generated Content)
UGC (User Generated Content) is any content created by customers, fans or users about a brand, not produced by the company itself. It includes reviews, photos, videos, testimonials and spontaneous posts. It is one of the most powerful forms of social proof and in 2026 it underpins most performance ad creatives.
What is UGC?
UGC (User Generated Content) is any material created by ordinary people about a brand, product or service, not officially produced by the company.
It can be:
- Unboxing video
- Photo of the product in use
- Written review
- Video testimonial
- Story tagging the brand
- E-commerce review
- Detailed comment
It differs from influencer marketing: UGC does not require fame. Any real customer is a source.
Why UGC works
- Authenticity: real language, real environments, realistic expectations
- Social proof: someone like me used it and approved
- Volume and variety: dozens of viewpoints vs 1 campaign
- Low cost: incentivizing with a gift + coupon is cheaper than production
- Ad performance: UGC creatives average 30% lower CPA than institutional creatives
How to encourage UGC
- Official brand hashtag to aggregate posts
- Repost (with credit) customers who tagged you
- Informal ambassador program: coupon + visibility
- Contests ("show how you use our product")
- Post-purchase email asking for review in exchange for coupon
- Instagrammable packaging that makes people want to photograph
Paid vs organic UGC
In 2026, "creator UGC" emerged — creators who sell UGC-style videos to brands for use in ads, without posting on their own profile. Average cost: R$ 600 to R$ 2,000 per video, with 6 to 12 months of usage rights.
Practical example
A home-goods store tests creatives on Meta Ads:
- Institutional creative (in-house production): CTR 1.2%, CPA R$ 68
- Organic UGC creative (real customer reposted with permission): CTR 2.8%, CPA R$ 39
- Paid creator UGC creative: CTR 3.4%, CPA R$ 31
The paid creator UGC CPA is less than half of the institutional one. Investing R$ 1,500 in a UGC video and running it as an ad pays back far more than producing an R$ 15,000 model-driven video.
Common mistakes
- Not requesting usage rights before reposting (legal issues)
- "Fake" UGC that looks like UGC but is from the in-house team. Audiences detect it
- Not crediting the creator
- Mixing UGC with institutional in the same creative (ruins authenticity)
- Not monitoring the brand hashtag
Related terms
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